UPDATE: Rio gets The Games.
UPDATE: Tokyo has been eliminated, Madrid (thanks Juan!), Rio remain as finalists.
UPDATE: Updated odds on Madrid: 3 to 1. Rio: 1 to 5. Brazilian Real rose 1/2 % against the Dollar in currency markets when Chicago was eliminated.
UPDATE: President expected back at White House in two hours, will likely meet media about it at 4pm ET.
Chicago is out as a possible host for 2016 Summer Olympics. First city eliminated in the voting process. Madrid, Rio and Tokyo are the remaining cities still alive in the voting.
CNN reports “stunned silence” in streets of Chicago where massive crowds had gathered waiting for the announcement of which city would host The Games.
Honestly, why do people in those cities do that to themselves?
I was in Paris the day the city lost out to London for the 2012 Games, and it was an ugly scene. No point gathering people when there’s a very good chance for crushing disappointment.
11:48 am on October 2nd, 2009
That sucks, but I think South America deserves to have the Olympics for the first time.
11:54 am on October 2nd, 2009
Another $10 Million down the drain! Could have stimulated the economy with that instead of wasting it on a quick trip to Copenhagen.
12:33 pm on October 2nd, 2009
Any minute now, Obama will demand that a special prosecuter be assigned to look into olymic committee corruption. . . just wait.
And, yeah, it should go to Rio.
1:19 pm on October 2nd, 2009
The IOC is clearly racist. Either that, or George W. got his hands in on this somehow.
2:47 pm on October 2nd, 2009
I kind of felt that they were trying to hard. Had Daley and Obama acted less interested it might have been more appealing to the high class europeans.
Daley should have his own games every year in Chicago, it be a boost to the city and entertaining. There are alot of parks through out the city that are beautiful, Ive stumbled upon many in amazement.
20000 ppl ran the half marathon in Sept, 40000 will run the Full in Oct, 9000 did the Triathalon in Aug. For being cold and cloudy most of the year the athletic interest is there.
2:49 pm on October 2nd, 2009
Perhaps had the SbB girls made another trip to Chicago during the IOC visit it might have turned the corner.